Author's Note: Had a really hard day today.

Here's the update.

Enjoy.

I'm going to go fume.

Day 2.

Buffy sat bolt upright. Looking around herself. "What's going on? Where…?"

She was still in the Slayer-copter.

Now looking at a much more sooty and disheveled Ria and Willow.

They were flying over the ocean. It was still dark outside — early hours of the morning — and Buffy could feel the air cold and nippy around her.

"We tried, Buffy," said Willow. "We were too late. The Hub was gone when we got there."

"We made sure Ianto lived through it, though," Ria offered. "Magic and stuff. He might be the only person who's ever survived being at the epicenter of a massive explosion."

"We went out, afterwards, searching for him and Gwen," Willow said. "But we lost them. And people kept shooting at us." She leveled dark eyes at Ria. "I said you should have brought that gun with you!"

"It's almost out of power, anyways," Ria muttered. "And unlike the snipers, I wasn't prepared to use it to kill." She turned back to a tablet, and began typing at it. Bringing up information. "If it's any help, reports are still coming in requesting the immediate location and arrest of Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones. Which means they're still alive and on the run."

"Then we have to go back!" Buffy insisted. "Find them! There's something going on, something getting covered up, and we have to…"

Buffy noticed the looks on Ria and Willow's faces.

And realized… she was missing something.

"What?" said Buffy. Her heart sinking. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

Ria and Willow exchanged a look. Both daring the other to start, first.

Willow sighed.

Turned to Buffy. "Giles went missing at 1:00, yesterday," she confessed. "Shortly afterwards, 2:30, you called him. Alison Korjensky called you at 8:00, just before she was shot in the head. Jack Harkness was implanted with a bomb and exploded — which you'd warned us would happen. Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones, the only witnesses to Jack's demise, are on the run." She gave Buffy a pointed stare. "Get where this is going?"

"There's a kill order out for three suspected terrorists," said Willow. "You're one of them."

"Wait, what?" Buffy cried. "AGAIN?!" She gritted her teeth. "What is it with the British government and trying to kill me?"

Ria gave Buffy a small smile. "Relax. You're an American citizen. We're taking you back to US soil."

"Well, the US army only ever tried to kill me once," Buffy muttered. "Guess that's an improvement."

"And you're a Slayer," Ria added. "Trust me. The moment we get you back to Cleveland, you'll be fine."

Willow hesitated.

And Buffy caught it.

"Fine," Buffy repeated. Felt her anger surging through her. "Fine?!" She jumped to her feet. "I haven't been fine for a while, now!" Pointed to her head. "I've got this illness! Remember? No one can find it, no one can figure out what it is, no one can cure it, and it's killing me! It's killing the people around me! If it hadn't been for these headaches and me zoning out, I'd have passed on Alison's message! Stopped this from happening! I'd… have…"

Buffy couldn't say it.

Because she should been there — in Cardiff with Alison. Able to save her life.

Should have been the reliable confidante who was able to relay Alison's message back to Jack and the others, instead of zoning out for who knew how long.

Should not have wound up sending off every competent, caring, compassionate alien-fighter so that they were stranded in the middle of nowhere, just because they were trying to find a cure for her!

Buffy slumped down onto the ground, again.

Head hung.

Buffy Summers: the Slayer who doomed the world.

"Illness," Willow repeated. She seemed nervous. Fidgety. Kept looking at Buffy weirdly. "Um… Buffy… how'd you find this?" She raised up the flat board-looking object.

Buffy turned.

Stared at it.

She'd hoped that thing had just been a nightmare.

"I just… I dunno," Buffy admitted, with a shrug. "I was looking after little David, and he mentioned sonics, and I went all Wikipedia and built something to find… whatever that is."

"A gadget?" Willow clarified. "You built a gadget?!"

"Yeah." Buffy gritted her teeth, head in her hands. "I would have built it faster but… it's these headaches. It's like… I keep losing my train of thought. I'll work everything out, know it all perfectly, and then… next second, it's gone. I've forgotten. And I have to figure it out all over again."

This seemed to unnerve Willow even more. She clutched the board-thing a little tighter.

Buffy noticed that, too. Stared at that board-thing so hard, trying to recall… last night. What she'd known… about that thing… what she'd worked out about it the last time she'd seen it…

"I think we should keep you away from this thing, Buffy," said Willow.

And then Buffy remembered! What she'd figured out!

"No, Will, listen," Buffy put in, quickly. "I know what's going on. The Crystallizer's always lighting up and whirring just before stuff happens. Like it's making stuff happen. It lit up just before Alison called me. It lit up just before Torchwood exploded. And the children! Will — the Crystallizer's connected to this. Connected to this whole thing!"

"Crystallizer?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, the… you know," said Buffy, gesturing at it, "…board-looking thing. The Crystallizer."

"But how did you know…?" Willow started.

"It's making this invasion happen?" Ria cut in, to confirm. "Making the children all talk at once?"

"No, of course not, it's more complicated than that!" Buffy shouted. "It's—"

Then the Crystallizer began blinking and whirring and clicking, again.

And Buffy doubled up. Convulsing. Reacting. Head in her hands, teeth gritted. Unable to focus, as the world swam around her, the headaches growing worse and worse, like they were tearing her apart.

Ria caught her up, but Willow just kept staring at the Crystallizer.

"It's making her sick," Willow realized. Tapped it with her hand. "It's indestructible. Alien. Buried beneath London. It's got something to do with the children. And whenever it operates… it makes Buffy sick."

The blinking stopped.

And Buffy seemed fine.

The moment the blinking stopped, the Pentagon caught sight of the Slayer-copter, coming in.

General Pierce, on the phone, said, "Understood, sir," and hung up. Then turned to the others, nearby.

"I want two fighter planes on that thing, pronto!" Pierce commanded. "The Brits say this is an act of terrorism, and that" — pointing at the screen — "is the person behind it."

"Ria," said the pilot. "We've got a problem."

The sounds of sophisticated aircraft whooshed by, deafeningly, as two US fighter planes circled the Slayer-copter. The speaker on the copter crackled, and a voice came through:

"Blue Eagle to Slayer Copter 1," said the voice. "You are suspected of harboring dangerous terrorist elements. Under the US Patriot Act, you must land immediately and surrender yourself to US custody, pending trial and investigation once the state of emergency has passed."

"I think we've all just earned ourselves a one-way ticket to Guantanamo Bay," the pilot said.

Ria grimaced. "For Buffy? Hardly. They'll ship her back to London. And we all know what'll happen to her there."

"It's never a good sign," Willow put in, "when you realize water-boarding is the good option."

Ria was on her feet and beside Willow in a second. Kneeling down to put her hands on Willow's shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. "Will," she said, very quietly. "Get out of here. I know you can."

Willow froze.

Staring.

"No!" Willow cried. "No, I'm not leaving you and Buffy and Todd to be Guantanamoed while I get free! I… just give me a minute! To get up my magical energy reserves. I can transport us all away! I—"

"And by then it'll be too late," said Ria. She took Willow's spare hand, and put it around the Crystallizer. "This thing," she said, in a very low voice, "it's part of what's happening. We have to get it back to the Institute."

Willow looked over at Buffy. Who had zoned out, now. Was just looking straight ahead, confused, detached from reality once more.

Then Willow looked back at Ria.

Swallowed.

And nodded.

Willow stepped away. Summoning her magical powers. Gathering up her strength, so she could make the journey she needed.

"And Will?" Ria added. With a smile. "Enact Operation 001delta53. You'll find the plans in my office."

It was the last thing Willow heard before she disappeared from the helicopter. Shot out through the air, soaring towards Cleveland. Repeating the code in her head, over and over again, just to make sure she got it right.

001delta53.

001delta53.

With another surge of magical energy… Willow was back. In Cleveland. In the Institute. Surrounded by Slayers. Everyone turning to her the moment she arrived, expecting something.

Or… someone.

Ria.

"Operation 001delta53," Willow reported, trying to steady herself. "Ria and Buffy are in trouble."